The World’s Cheapest Simplest Leadership Development System
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We’ve all been there. We get fired up at a conference only to run out of steam a few days later. Regardless of how good, training won’t stick on its own.
Leaders aren’t developed with occasional seminars and sporadic training. But, who has the time and who can afford it?
Free simple option:
Jeffery Norris, the Director of Admission & Data Services at Rhodes College sent me this note:
“At Rhodes our VP of Enrollment and Communications, Carey Thompson, has us (his four directors) subscribe and read your blog daily. This has proven to be very valuable to the way in which we lead our respective offices. We now bring our insights to our weekly directors meeting and each week a different director presents the “Freak of the Week.” We have the opportunity to talk about which of your posts taught us the most in the previous week. We have only been doing this for a few weeks, but it has already helped me learn more about how my peers lead differently than me. This has opened up insightful conversations that were never there prior to this.” (Used with permission)
Thanks Jeffery for a great note!
Freak of the Week:
I love Freak of the Week. Successful systems are simple; complexity fails. There’s deep value in persistent focus and systematic conversation.
Surprising:
Jeffery’s note suggests the surprising benefit of learning how fellow team members lead.
Would this work for volunteer boards of community or religious organizations?
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What simple system or free tools are you using to develop your leaders?
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I agree. The post is amazing. Incredibly helpful.
Thank you Joe.
I love this concept. It will be agenda item number one on my management meeting this week!
Hi Peter,
Best wishes!
Dan
Love the idea “freak of the week”. I’m gonna steal that one for discussion in my community college course on Principles of Management!
Thanks JT, and stay in touch… cheers, Dan
What a great idea! As I look to develop my own leadership abilities and those of my college student leaders I think about utilizing these on-going, free, and great leadership resources as a worthwhile resource to keep in front of them. I love it! Thanks for the idea!
Hi Chris,
I wish you the best on your leadership journey.
Best,
Dan
Dan,
So true, the odd training session or seminar may be all well and good, but in the end there is only one way to get to a level of higher achievement. Through practice, building shared vision and learning how to fit and learn/work together.
I highly recommend reading your blog and FB page as both have much to give and I post them to my FB page regularly.
Sharing knowledge is sharing mental models, and so much more. When we share, we connect, and as the man above shows, when we connect we hold each other together.
A leader is as good as their weakest link, and the system as good as the feedback it receives. The more we understands of each others styles and models, the more balanced we can be. Simple is pure, communication and leaning through sharing should be in the foundation of everyones development base.
Nice post, thank you,
Simon.
Hi Simon,
Your participation makes the Leadership Freak community richer. Thank you.
Like you, I thought Jeffery’s comment about how he learned about his fellow leaders was priceless. Very powerful for team building.
cheers,
Dan
That would be an excellent addition to any meeting. It takes the onus out of BEING the object of discussion. The group can freely discuss what the problems are in the piece rather than what the problems are with each others. This helps avoid confrontation, especially for this who do not do well with it.
This would help any group move forward.
Martina
@martinamcgowan
Hi Martina,
Thanks for your comment. I know you work in the nonprofit world with volunteer leaders, as well as the medical field. It dawned on me that little to nothing is done to develop their leadership.
I’d love to see the Freak of the Week or the Freak of the Month become a point of discussion for volunteer leaders. What’s cool is the way Carey Thomas uses the blog it takes no preparation, just reading it and coming ready to share.
Best,
Dan
There are all kinds o’ networks and Dan you bring us into the virtual network so well! This one probably is still in it’s infancy too! Without LF or now perhaps, FOTW, I would not have been able to sidecar with Dr. Al and glean some great insights on 360 reviews or learned of Marshall Goldsmith’s FeedForward and heard from so many knowledgeable folks.
Would this work for boards or organizations? You bet, they just have to gather on some sort of regular basis…or so many of the nuggets from LF vaults would make for an energizing 1/2 day or whole day set of workshops.
Doc,
I’m with you on enjoying the interactions. LF is definitely in it’s infancy. It’s exciting to see escalating interest and growing opportunities to make a difference.
Your insights enrich me.
Thanks for making LF a great place to visit.
Best,
Dan
Dear Dan,
I am happy and delighted to hear that people use the ideas of this blog to grow organizations. I agree that simplicity excels over complexity in terms of development. I would like to suggest simple tools to develop leaders. They are immediate supervision, relationship with superiors, work environment and encouragement measures. Immediate supervisors need to ensure that employees feel comfortable in sharing ideas and those ideas should be encouraged with all kind of supports. Superiors should ensure that they interact and maintain nurturing relationship with lower hierarchy with honest transparency. Administration process should be such that people should not suffer in getting their usual entitlement and privileges etc. Actually these process consumes more time and sucks more energy. Leaders should ensure that they have sufficient and effective mechanism and process in the system that encourage employee creativity, insightful ideas and innovation across all the levels. All these measures do not need any additional cost. All leaders need to do is to ensure that proper and time information is percolated across all levels, proper execution of policies, encouraging fair, ethical and accountable practices. Once it is ensured, people will not worry more about monetary rewards. They will stay longer and this will increase commitment and loyalty.
Dear Ajay,
I had to read your comment several times to appreciate all the nuggets you share around the ideas of immediate supervisors, superiors, work environment, and systematic encouragement.
You remind me that internal systems and relationships are a main reason people lose enthusiasm and then disengage.
Thanks for being here to share.
Best,
Dan
Wow……
The simplest leadership development system , leadership is all about givinh your team a right direction without much authority and command .It is said , respect should be commanded and not demanded , leader should be transperent in his/her dealing with his collegue , juniors and seniors most imortantly with is Juniors , I have seen people in leadership postion grossly misusing their position for personal gains and achievment , I as leader should be in a position to guide my people and collegue in the upwardly direction , I should try to groom them personally and professionaly and this will not come without a sacrifice of prejudece and biasness .
In my view the most simplest way to be a develop a leaders to be honest , sincere and ethitical to your job , your people and your family .
Rajesh,
I love a catchy expression… “respect should be commanded not demanded.” Nice!
It’s a pleasure seeing you becoming a regular.
Cheers,
Dan
I think this would work with a volunteer board. Years ago when I took over the local chapter of a trade organization, I started by having the board members fill out a short survey about why they were part of the organization and why they were on the board. Hearing the vareity of answers suprised them. But later in the year when they didn’t see eye to eye, it helped them better understand each other’s point of view.
Bonnie,
Exactly! Relationship carry us through challenges. Once a crisis or tension arrives, its too late. So connect now…you’ll need that strength later.
I enjoy your insights,
Dan
My comment is on your regular use of the words simple, complicated and complex. Please do not use the latter two words interchangeably. For an explanation of the difference between these,please refer to Dave Snowden’s explanation of his Cynefin Framework, based in part on complexity theory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8
Nancy,
Cool video. I’ll ask you to appreciate that i won’t be using the terms you mention with this technical specificity.
Thanks for your comment and a great link.
Cheers,
Dan
I recently starting reading this blog, and have found it very helpful and encouraging. I am the ED of a small, faith-based non-profit (just under $250K annual budget.) A pastor and board member recommended it after some rough HR issues arose. The insights here have truly been worth a great deal; VERY important considering our limited resources!
Kim,
Congratulations on making a difference in the world. I visited your site: http://www.danvilleisprolife.com/ .
Thanks for sharing your story. I wish you continued success.
Best,
Dan
Bite size. That’s why it is so great Dan. 300 words or less. That’s how we learn and absorb best. In many ways, I think that’s why coaching works so well. It is a laser focus that allows the participant to get clarity and to then internalize, or operationalize the learning. Thanks for being such a great contributor to the leadership development occurring all over!!
Best…Jim